ERIC Number: EJ1337685
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0305-7240
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
In Moral Relationship with Nature: Development and Interaction
Kahn, Peter H., Jr.
Journal of Moral Education, v51 n1 p73-91 2022
One of the overarching problems of the world today is that too many people see themselves as dominating other groups of people, and dominating nature. That is a root problem. And thus part of a core solution builds from Kohlberg's commitment to a universal moral orientation, though extended to include not only all people but the more-than-human world: animals, trees, plants, species, ecosystems, and the land itself. In this article, I make a case for this form of ethical extensionism, and then present psychological evidence for it in both children and adults, including studies with inner-city Black youth and their parents. Then I build on Piaget's, Kohlberg's, and Turiel's emphasis that interaction with the physical and social world is a critical mechanism for development. My corollary is this: that to reverse the incredibly fast human-caused destruction of nature--the wellsprings of human existence--we need to deepen and extend people's interactions with nature, and with its relatively wild forms, even in urban environments. Toward this end, I discuss my current body of research and framework for urban design based on what are referred to as interaction patterns.
Descriptors: Moral Values, Ethics, Urban Areas, African Americans, Moral Development, Natural Resources, Ecology, Climate, Poverty, Foreign Countries, Social Change, Grade 1, Grade 3, Grade 5, Elementary School Students
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Elementary Education; Grade 1; Primary Education; Grade 3; Grade 5; Intermediate Grades; Middle Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Texas (Houston); Alaska; Brazil; Portugal (Lisbon)
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Author Affiliations: N/A